Digital Inclusion Projects Research Articles

Evaluating a women's digital inclusion and storytelling initiative through the lens of empowerment

In terms of digital inclusion, a global gender gap has been widely documented with women more likely to face digital exclusions, particularly in rural areas and especially in the Global South. Digital inclusion initiatives (DIIs) aim to address these disparities by providing hard-to-reach groups with access to digital infrastructures and/or competencies. In this paper, we heed calls for contextualised DII research that centres the oft-neglected experiences of socially and digitally marginalised women. As such, we contribute a case study from a women's project in Zimbabwe and elaborate a feminist framework of empowerment as an approach to qualitative evaluation. The study involved online Digital Storytelling workshops co-facilitated by and for women, using WhatsApp as the main communication platform. Thirteen participants were interviewed on WhatsApp following the workshop programme. Beyond supporting the development of digital competencies, we found that remote storytelling fostered relationship-building and a sense of solidarity to develop between participants. The paper shares findings around the practicalities of using WhatsApp to mediate online digital storytelling initiatives, which has transferable practical applications in other hard-to-reach contexts. Furthermore, we argue that the feminist framework and approach elaborated in the paper could be deployed more widely, as a tool for both co-designing and evaluating DIIs with communities to enhance the empowerment gains of digital inclusion projects.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM DIGITAL EQUALITY RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Abstract Despite strong interest among policymakers and service providers and a pipeline of Federal funding for programs that address digital inequalities in older adults, there is limited research on the challenges and outcomes of programs designed to reduce the digital divide. To better understand these issues, we compared and contrasted challenges and lessons learned administering digital inclusion projects in California and Rhode Island. In California, challenges included the complexity of state and local interface, managing public-private partnerships, and deciding on and communicating roles and responsibilities through the required formal channels. In Rhode Island, timing and communication were challenging because universities and community partners operate on different calendar systems and cater to different demands. For both programs, ensuring that training and technical support were available, accessible, and appropriate for diverse populations of older adults was a challenge. However, the training and support approaches were different as California leveraged private and non-profit partnerships while Rhode Island used university student mentors. Further, the rollout and data collection needed to evaluate the programs created barriers and slowed the process, including partners’ language capabilities not matching the participants’ and the time-consuming nature of data collection via telephone. Nevertheless, in both states, research opportunities afforded by collaborating with state and local agencies and private sector providers were invaluable. Partnerships allowed older adults to participate in research via a trusted organization with linguistic and cultural sensitivity, and researchers accessed underserved populations less likely to participate in research.

The Creation of Situated Boundary Objects in Socio-Educational Contexts for Boundary Crossing in Higher Education

There is a growing awareness of the need to develop professional skills among university students, which is related to connecting learning to real life. In order to foster this connection, teachers may carry out activities that involve crossing boundaries, using theory in the practice of the professional context. This study presents a teaching experience consisting of a collaborative inquiry-based learning activity mediated by a WebQuest. Students analysed real digital literacy or digital inclusion projects implemented by local organisations to propose improvements by means of creating a digital educational product (a boundary object). This involved a change in context from the university environment to the socio-educational and professional setting. The aim of this study is to examine the students’ perception of this experience. For this purpose, a case study was conducted with a group of 39 first-year students of the bachelor’s degree in Social Education of the University of Barcelona. A questionnaire was administered and the responses were analysed from the perspective of Hermans’ Dialogical Self Theory and Star’s boundary objects. The results show that the students perceive the activity as a bridge between the two contexts, that they view this transition positively—albeit with certain limitations—and that they consider digital technology to have facilitated boundary crossing. In conclusion, we consider that the examined experience is useful in respect to closing the gap between academic and professional skills and contributes to the theoretical foundations for learning between contexts.

Comunidades criativas para a inclusão digital: laboratórios de políticas e práticas territorializadas para a inclusão digital I

Between 2017 and 2020, the Creative Communities for Digital Inclusion (CCID) project was developed as part of the Inclusion Axis of the INCoDe.2030 interministerial initiative. This project included ter-ritorial models for digital inclusion that targeted populations at risk in terms of access to and use of the digital world. The CCIDs were based on a regionally sensitive approach that aimed to design and develop community-based solutions through networking and collaboration, reduce inequalities in access, use, and digital literacy, and recognise that opportunities are unequally distributed. They develop models for digital inclusion based on the local context, taking into account the diversity of issues and populations, social and geographic realities, and different resources and knowledge. CCIDs fall within the participatory methodologies in the sense of Stanton (2014) and Genat (2009), which focus on promoting training and building local capacity, bringing a reflexive dimension to the practice. This reflexivity made it possible to explore how digital inclusion models can be built collaboratively by creating communities of shared knowledge. It also made it possible to discuss the relevance and social value of these commu-nity-based initiatives, whose impact is difficult to measure.

Can the internet mitigate the negative effect of widowhood on Quality of Life? A gender analysis

Widowhood often reduces the Quality of Life of individuals of advanced ages by negatively affecting their social network ties. Yet conversely, the Internet has also created new opportunities for communication and interaction, thus contributing to improved Quality of Life. This research analyses the role of the Internet in the relationship between widowhood and Quality of Life from a gender perspective.This study focuses on 31,814 individuals aged 65 or over residing in 17 European countries who participated in Wave 6 of SHARE – the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.The linear regression analyses highlighted that the role of the Internet in the relationship between widowhood and Quality of Life varies according to gender. More specifically, in Europe, the Quality of Life for widowed women aged 65+ using the Internet is .414 higher (CI=.006 to .0822) than widows who do not use the Internet and married women or women in a de facto relationship whether or not they use the Internet. The results have relevant implications for the development of social policies and suggest a need to develop digital inclusion projects targeting older people, particularly widows, to help promote their Quality of Life.

Development of Digital Health Messages for Rural Populations in Tanzania: Multi- and Interdisciplinary Approach.

BackgroundHealth workers have traditionally delivered health promotion and education to rural communities in the Global South in paper leaflet formats or orally. With the rise of digital technologies, health promotion and education can be provided in innovative and more effective formats, which are believed to have a higher impact on disease prevention and treatment.ObjectiveThe aim of this tutorial is to illustrate how a multi- and interdisciplinary approach can be applied in the design process of digital health messages for use in the Global South.MethodsThe multi- and interdisciplinary team of the Non-discriminating access for Digital Inclusion (DigI) project digitalized and customized available government-approved paper-based health promotion messages into a screen-suitable format. The team worked closely together and used its diverse expertise to develop digital health messages with disease-specific content in Tanzania’s national language (Swahili) as well as English. The development process included the following phases: a local needs assessment; identification of government-approved health promotion materials in a nondigital format; identification of key health messages; creation of a practical and engaging story, easy to understand for the general public; drafting of a storyboard for an animated video with review, feedback, and revisions; forward and backward translation; audio recording of the story in both languages; finalization and presentation of the animations; development of relevant questions related to the health messages in each domain; and development of web and mobile apps to access the digital health messages.ResultsBetween 2017 and 2019, we developed key health messages, quizzes, and animated health videos to address HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, Taenia solium cysticercosis and taeniasis, and anthrax, all of which are of public health importance in Tanzania. Feedback from local stakeholders and test users was included in various phases of the process. The 4 videos and other content are available in local information spots on a digital health platform (DigI platform), established by the DigI project, in both Tanzanian Swahili and English.ConclusionsOur methodological multi- and interdisciplinary approach ensures that the digital health messages for the public are clear, high quality, and align with the government’s objectives for health promotion. It also demonstrates the diversity of scientific disciplines required when collaborating on a digital health project. We recommend this approach to be applied to the development of other digital health messages for a wide range of diseases.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.2196/25128

Financial untouchability: a polysemic narrative of digital financial inclusion in Modi’s India

ABSTRACT India’s post-GFC digital financial inclusion project has been conveyed by an officially constructed polysemic narrative that connotes three distinctive semantic fields: (a) post-colonial Indian developmental policies; (b) post-GFC financialising neoliberal financial inclusion programmes; and (c) traditional Hindu religious values of money and wealth. By assembling a semiological conceptual toolbox from the works of Barthes, Eco, and Ricouer we analyse this specific phenomenon of polysemy in India’s financial inclusion narrative. Based on our findings we develop an argument for a connotative approach to economic discourses as a possible alternative to metonymic understanding of the relationship between language and things in studying markets, economy, and neoliberal policies.

Inclusão Digital para adultos: Relato de experiência

Resumo: Este artigo apresenta o relato de experiência do projeto de extensão Inclusão Digital para Adultos. O projeto teve como objetivo principal desenvolver a inclusão digital do educando, fazendo com que após sua inserção no mundo digital ele possa interagir com esse novo paradigma social, sentindo-se valorizado como indivíduo, realizando-se como profissional, contribuindo assim para a melhoria de seu contexto social, de acordo com a formação obtida por meio das oficinas práticas. O projeto desenvolveu, por meio de oficinas educativas e práticas, a inclusão do público específico a ser atendido, contribuindo assim para a aproximação da comunidade externa com o Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina - campus Tubarão. Ao final do projeto conclui-se que os objetivos foram alcançados. No total, foram atendidos 30 alunos.

Libraries on the Front Lines of the Digital Divide: The Oxfordshire Digital Inclusion Project Report

This report summarises findings from the 2020 Oxfordshire Digital Inclusion Project, which studied the digital assistance provided in Oxfordshire County Libraries. Public libraries are trusted, accessible community spaces that people rely on to cultivate relationships, exchange ideas, and learn. Today, libraries provide essential access to digital equipment, services, and skills training. They are vital bridges across the digital divide. In this report, we present findings from our research in the Oxfordshire County Libraries, focused on two themes: (1) Exploring the day-to-day role libraries are playing in our digital world; (2) Understanding the lived experience of digital exclusion, through observations and data on library computer users and digital help seekers. Based on our findings, we make several recommendations about how to better address digital exclusion and to enable libraries to fulfill the role they are already performing: (1) There is a need to improve the digital skills of library staff, meaning that staff need to be digitally fluent themselves in order to address the high volume of digital help requests from customers; (2) Government and local councils must recognise and support what libraries deliver with funding to hire more staff, acquire more hardware, and support a digital learning volunteer programme that can supplement staff expertise and time; (3) We need to shift the focus of digital inclusion agendas from digital skills to digital wellbeing, meaning that any digital inclusion programme should be embedded in a wider social inclusion agenda because digital marginalisation is often bound up with other forms of social, economic, geographic, and educational marginalisation; (4) Libraries must work to increase community outreach and awareness of the services they offer by reaching out to communities that might not know about their offerings, making libraries true community hubs for a diverse set of users.

Inclusión digital educativa. Clúster de asistencia para los más pobres

Se analizan los cambios de capital humano que los estudiantes de educación telesecundaria en un municipio indígena catalogados como en extrema pobreza. Estos cambios fueron motivados por la implementación de un proyecto educativo de inclusión digital operado por un grupo de Organizaciones No Gubernamentales, que se llama el "grupo de asistencia".
 Se está desarrollando una metodología etnográfica en el municipio de Coatecas Altas, ubicado en el estado mexicano de Oaxaca, que realiza trabajo de campo durante 16 meses entre 2017-2018 con una muestra de 24 estudiantes. Los resultados muestran un impacto favorable en la percepción de la escuela en el futuro, debido al conocimiento adquirido a través del proyecto de inclusión digital de la escuela. Cabe señalar que al menos 19 estudiantes prefieren continuar estudiando el desgaste o el trabajo infantil, reforzado el interés en continuar sus estudios en etapas posteriores. tales como la escuela secundaria o nivel superior. Se concluye un aumento evidente en el capital humano, los cambios positivos en las percepciones futuras de los estudiantes, además del hecho de que el trabajo de las organizaciones no gubernamentales es de suma importancia dada la incapacidad del Estado para implementar proyectos educativos en este tipo de contexto.

Exploring a Complexity Framework for Digital Inclusion Interventions

The current global scenario of technology change and social change make necessary to rethinking the vision and methods employed by governments, development agencies and private sector to impulse socioeconomic development through the adoption and application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). We pose that the availability of computing and telecommunications infrastructure, highly converging devices for Internet access and content suited to the population needs and idiosyncrasies are not enough to accomplish long-term socioeconomic development. This paper suggests that non technology-centric programs are necessary to effectively achieve sustainable digital inclusion projects, particularly in remote and underserved populations. This new perspective, encompassing strategies for social action with grass roots participation including technology adoption programs and a strong component of moral leadership may contribute to turn ICT into successful development engines. Furthermore, we argue that the confluence of Digital Convergence with social and environmental phenomena is creating new divides whose multifactorial nature can be analyzed using the principles of complex adaptive systems.

Talking about digital inclusion in rural sector

Given the existence palpable of digital divide in the Latin American rural sector, the authors intend to formalize this document online conversation initiated under the auspices Anilla Cultural Uruguay, which focuses on understanding the situation of the rural population in Uruguay, Peru and Colombia, as well as digital inclusion processes, developed in them from the state initiative, thinking that camp residents to access, use and appropriation ICT in their activities, especially given school as a bridge. Considering the respect that should be borne by the diversity and the need for digital inclusion projects are with, by and for rural communities, the paper ends with a summary description of a proposal basics for future initiatives.Keywords: digital divide; digital inclusion; rural sector; diversity.

Intergenerational relations: the use of technology as a mediator

The social dynamics of today provide greater proximity between people belonging to different generations, diluting the differences among the large volume of innovations, whether technological or cultural that are produced continuously¹. Intergenerational relationships can bring great benefits to the young and older, who may learn together through their experience, the mutual exchange of knowledge or merely for the daily contact². Goal: Understanding how young monitors participants of a digital inclusion project for seniors (PIDI) relate to the elderly, which are the benefits of this relationship and the changes it brings in the life and family environment of these young people. Method: This is a qualitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire with open questions. The responses were analyzed and grouped according to their content. Results: 16 monitors who participated in the PIDI took part in this study (students with scholarship and volunteers), of which 69% are women and 31% are men, with an average age of 25. Regarding the time of participation in the project, 44% attended for six months, 25% for a year and 31% more than one year. 62.5% of them considered the relationship with the elderly as excellent and 37.5% considered as good. The monitors report that the process of teaching the elderly is facilitated due to the fact that the elderly are willing to learn and that the relationship established in this process is very natural. According to the monitors, the elderly are understandable and have patience forward to exchanging roles in which the young are teaching the older. The monitors also report that they learned to be more patient, be aware of difficulties, be more caring, respect differences, to listen more, to recognize specific characteristics of the elderly, in addition to personal growth. Young people report that they were able to transfer what they have learned in the relationship with the elderly for their family environment reporting that they began to act with more patience and tolerance, now have a closer interaction with elderly relatives, and better understand their difficulties and recognize their potential and, they start to assist and teach family members in the use of electronic devices. Conclusion: The intergenerational interaction is a valuable tool to exclude preconceptions, for the transfer of knowledge, mutual aid, solidarity and friendship.

Políticas públicas de inclusión digital: El caso de América Latina y Cuba

Objetivo. Abordar el desarrollo de políticas públicas vinculadas a la inclusión digital en países de América Latina y en especial Cuba y análisar el comportamiento de este fenómeno en el área y las acciones realizadas por los diferentes gobiernos permitiendo mostrar cómo se ha comportado el desarrollo de políticas y proyectos de inclusión digital en América Latina y Cuba. Método. Para profundizar en este análisis, se realizó una revisión bibliográfica que permitió ubicarnos en un contexto teórico-conceptual de este fenómeno. Se consultaron bases de datos internacionales que facilitaron el acceso a información que permitió arribar a varias conclusiones. Conclusiones. A pesar de los esfuerzos realizados para disminuir la brecha digital, esta crece en la medida que se desarrollan nuevas tecnologías afectando a la población de menos recursos, se percibe también una tendencia en el crecimiento del uso de las TIC´s en Cuba y América Latina.

The Importance of Sustainable Digital Inclusion Projects in Brazilian Education

The implementation of digital devices represents one of the main educational trends in recent years, alongside theimprovement in wireless connections potential. Many political initiatives have addressed development andinnovation issues through projects of digital inclusion, often taking for granted that access to Information andCommunication Technologies is the main factor to produce differences in social, cultural and economic outcomes.This paper goes beyond this deterministic vision, in favor of a broader concept of digital inclusion. The frameworkproposed is a model based on cultural needs analysis and subsequent promotion of didactics innovation, alongsidethe enhancement of competences development, both from teachers and students. The main goal is to present asustainable approach to digital inclusion, having as a focus methodological training for teachers.

An Analysis of Digital Inclusion Projects: Three Crucial Factors and Four Key Components

This paper provides an in-depth analysis into two case studies aimed at addressing the digital divide in two developing countries. A detailed description is provided for each case study along with an analysis of how successful the two projects were at addressing the digital divide in Siyabuswa, South Africa and Ennis, Ireland. The two case studies were both community-based ICT projects in rural areas of their respective countries. However, citizens in Siyabuswa had to continuously work hard to obtain new resources for a central hub which serviced the entire community, while citizens in Ennis were awarded a grant with an abundance of ICT technology including an Internet connection in every home. A conceptual framework for analyzing the success of digital inclusion projects was developed through a comprehensive literature review. This paper will identify the three factors (value, sustainability, and scalability) and four key components (digital equity, excellence, opportunity, and empowerment) that make up the framework, analyze each of the two case studies based on the framework, and explore future implications for addressing gaps in ICT access through the implementation of digital inclusion projects.

Acessibilidade digital para a educação inclusiva: desafios e oportunidades

The use of technology during the learning process has many positive points, especially for students with disabilities. This research was devoted to investigate the key challenges and opportunities for inclusive education in the context of digital accessibility. Through qualitative methodology and in-depth interviews, opinions of researchers and students with disabilities who participate in digital inclusion projects were compiled. The results indicate the key challenges and opportunities in the perception of the respondents.

A digital inclusion project for older people: Itinerant mode experience report

A digital inclusion project for older people: Itinerant mode experience report

Usabilidade de site sobre lazer para idosos

Com a crescente utilização da internet, aumentaram as exigências por interfaces interativas, que atendam às expectativas dos usuários. Mesmo com toda a evolução, ainda há necessidade de melhorar a qualidade das informações disponibilizadas na web, especialmente no que tange aos sites voltados para pessoas idosas. Sendo assim, este estudo, de natureza qualitativa, teve como objetivo avaliar a usabilidade de um site que contém informações sobre lazer para idosos, tomando-se em foco as dimensões: layout, informação e operacionalização. Para tanto, utilizou-se como instrumento o Inventário de Usabilidade de Sites sobre Lazer (IAUSLA-21+), aplicado a uma amostra intencional composta por 30 idosos, de ambos os sexos, alunos de um projeto de inclusão digital da cidade de São Paulo. Os dados foram analisados descritivamente por meio de Análise de Conteúdo Temático. Os resultados apontaram mais pontos positivos do que negativos em relação à usabilidade do site, principalmente, no que se refere ao layout e à informação. O site apresentou bons resultados também quanto à satisfação dos usuários. Sugerem-se algumas adaptações na dimensão operacionalização do instrumento e, consequentemente, novos estudos que visem aprofundar essa temática.

Mídias locativas e realidade mixada: a produção de sentidos sobre o digital-virtual a partir da cartografia com suporte das tecnologias digitais

This paper discusses the field of tension that has arisen from the emergence of a digital culture in public schools that participate in digital inclusion projects. Based on the theoretical and epistemological assumptions of cognitive ecologies and structural coupling, we discuss the production of meanings about the virtual-digital as a necessary path for the opening of new possibilities regarding the use of digital technologies in education. We performed an exploratory workshop with teachers of a statewide network of public education, involving local cartography supported by digital technologies, locative media and mixed reality. The workshop was designed to lead participants to an informational and aesthetic experience for the production of meanings about the virtual-digital on the basis of a dual – technological and symbolical – appropriation using technologies such as QRCode markers, digital media, geolocation and publishing in a blog. The teachers showed an understanding of the virtual-digital as a technology that can expand physical experience, the experience of time and protagonism among teachers and students. We conclude by discussing the “being part of” a digital culture on the basis of the demand for a reconfiguration of pedagogical practices and their cognitive regimes, regimes of authority and the very notion of sociability in relation to the educational process.Key words: locative media, mixed reality, cartography, cognitive ecology, digital inclusion.